Special Sub-Topic: History of Myanmar Authored by: kaung30 Sub-topic of: Burma

When Burma (now known as Myanmar) was dominated by Britain and other rulers, there were many different Burmese flags in use. Half of the flags had a symbol on their flag which was an animal. Which animal was it?

Peacock & the peacock & a peacock. The peacock was on a golden disk and various colors were used for the field and the peacock. In some cases the peacock was multi-coloured, such as yellowish-green. The peacock was in (or close to) the middle of the flag.

What was the oldest civilization in Burma (now known as Myanmar)?

Pyu. The Pyu civilization arrived in Myanmar in the 1st century BCE and lasted till a little after 800 CE. The Pyu states were peaceful. They started practicing 'Theravada Buddhism' and all children were educated in temples. So, at that time, the literacy rate was high. Later, the Pyu stated were overrun by a Chinese kingdom.

The Mon kingdom was the second one to dominate Burma (now Myanmar). One of these four statements about the Mon dynasty is false. Which is it?

The Mon kingdom started very close to India.. The false statement can be made true by changing India to Thailand. The Mon Kingdom started in Chao Phraya valley near to Siam (in present day Thailand). Upper Burma has not been excavated, so evidence of Mon rule may yet be found there. The Mon Kingdom lasted from the 13th-16th centuries CE and enjoyed a brief revival in the 18th century.

Before the British ruled Myanmar, the Konbaung kingdom ruled Burma (now known as Myanmar). The Konbaung kingdom was expanding and gaining power so strongly, that Burma's neighbors were afraid that it would take their land. Which country fought against Burma but failed to conquer the country during the rule of the Konbaung kingdom?

China. China was scared of the expansion and sent armies to Myanmar but was defeated. The Konbaung Dynasty was ruled by from, but a very famous Burmese general Maha Bandula was able to invade Assam. However, this led to British intervention in Burma.

Myanmar has had many capitals, but when British ruled the country, what was the capital?

Rangoon (now known as Yangon). Rangoon (now known as Yangon) was made the capital. Before Rangoon, the other capitals were Bagan and Mandalay.

In 1920, "National Day" was commemorated because of a strike. Which of the following statements best describe why the strike occurred?

Burmese students were against the colonial education system.. Burmese students went on strike because they believed that the colonial educational system was only for the elite. The poor people hence didn't have a good chance of going to school.

Around the mid-1990s, a group of Burmese came together to create a group called "We Burmans Association". The other people who support this group called the leaders of "We Burmans Association" as "masters". How did they call "masters" in Burmese language?

Thakin. "Thakin" means master who is of a high authority. "Sayagi" means teacher, while "Lugi" means adult. During those early times, "Thakin" was widely used to call those superiors nowadays; the word is rarely used in the modern Burmese community.

There was a group called "Rangoon University Students' Union" (RUSU). Two students called Aung San and Ko Nu were expelled from university. Why?

They refused to divulge who wrote an article criticizing one of the senior university officials.. In a university magazine, there was an article which attacked a senior university official. The two students refused to tell the truth. This spread to Mandalay (a city in mid Burma) and a student group called "All Burma Students' Union" (ABSU) was formed. The two students joined the "Thakin" group and switched from education to politics.

The Japanese started to invade Burma in 1942. Just before that, in December 1941, Japan occupied which city outside Burma?

Bangkok. Bangkok was occupied by the Japanese in December 1941. Note that 'Bogyoke' in Burmese means 'leader'. Just after that, Bogyoke Aung San (a party leader) formed the BIA (Burma Independence Army) to defend the country against the possible invasion from Japan. In 1942, Japan succeeded in invading Burma.

The Burmese parties cooperated and formed a Burmese army. They started fighting against the Japanese on March 27. March 27 was used to be called "Resistance Day", but the military changed it to which name?

The Armed Forces Day. March 27 is now called "The Tatmadaw Day" or "The Armed Forces Day". On that day, soldiers march around different areas, officials celebrate and there are different sports events in the streets of Myanmar.

In Myanmar, "July 19" is marked as "Martyrs' Day" because of the death of the heroic leader Bogyoke Aung San. Who killed him?

U Saw. U Saw was the leader to kill Bogyoke Aung San which happened in a meeting. This is today marked as "Martyrs' Day". After his death, the Socialist leader "Thakin Nu" took over.

In which year did Burma gain independence from the British?

1948. In January 4, 1948, Burma gained independence from the British. Today, it is marked as "Independence Day". After that, Burma didn't join the British Commonwealth although its neighbors India and Pakistan did.

Ne Win, who is considered a rebel, transformed Burma into a 'socialist' country for what objective?

He did it to continue making contacts with the outside world.. Ne Win failed to and so he retired from the job. U Nu took charge. Then, U Nu failed to improve and was very unpopular, so he fled to Bangkok to form an organization. Burma also faced protests from students in 1988-1990 and that was a big disaster. After that, Burma changed its name to Myanmar. Then, there was an election which "Aung San Su Kyi" won but the military stopped her from becoming leader. It became a very poor nation with a military regime.

Due to the pressure from foreign countries, Myanmar's former Prime Minister Khin Nyunt started to push the democratic plans forward and designed what plan?

Roadmap to Democracy. Khin Nyunt planned a seven-step road to "democracy". This invited parties of all ethnic groups. However, he was later expelled due to health reasons. The international community called the nation to move faster and to act together with its neighbors.

How do you say "history" in Burmese?

Tha mine. "Tha mine" means history. "Pa Htoo Wee" means geography, "Theit Pan" means science and "Thin Cha" means Mathematics. Hope you enjoy my quiz and learned a lot about the history of Burma (now known as Myanmar). Thanks for playing the quiz!